


Someone in common

by wendywhite13



Series: Earthlings [1]
Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Angst, Diamond Authority - Freeform, F/F, Pre-Canon, Pre-Relationship, Prologue
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-29
Updated: 2019-01-30
Packaged: 2019-10-18 15:54:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 4,702
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17583875
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wendywhite13/pseuds/wendywhite13
Summary: With the future of the Rebellion threatened, Pink Diamond and Pearl discuss a plan to turn the tide, involving the only successful soldier of the Beta Kindergarten-Jasper.





	1. The aftermath

EARTH COLONY  
APPROXIMATELY 6,000 YEARS AGO  
Pearl swayed gently where she stood, only catching herself when her shoulder bumped against the cold stone of Pink Diamond’s throne. She jumped back to attention. Exhausted as she was, she didn’t dare draw attention to herself in the present company.  
Present company. How could Pearl possibly forget where she was? Yellow Diamond’s angry face dominated the screen hovering in front of the throne, and her words filled the air.  
“I don’t understand how it could have gone so poorly, Pink. You were there on the field, you had the advantage in numbers…Your army should have crushed Rose Quartz and instead we’ve got dozens of soldiers cracked or bubbled and kidnapped by the rebellion. I…”  
The battle earlier today was the reason for Pearl’s exhaustion. It wasn’t often that Rose asked to her to impersonate her-Rose knew the stress that the giant shapeshift put on the smaller gem. But, it was important that people saw Rose Quartz and Pink Diamond at the same time every now and then, to discourage suspicion. So, when Pink Diamond had made a rare appearance on the battlefield, Rose Quartz had been there to meet her, if only for a short time. Pearl had held the much larger form for as long as she could, then quietly ducked out midway through the battle. Now, her knees knocked together and her vision blurred slightly at the edges. It seemed to have worked, though. Everyone thought Rose Quartz was amazing for having beaten Homeworld’s army with a diamond present on the battlefield, and no one who witnessed it would have guessed they were the same person.  
Beside her, Pink Diamond gave a half-hearted attempt at defending herself. “Yellow, you don’t understand. She’s very clever, she had us surrounded on a cliffside and blocked our retreat. Even with a larger force…” Pink Diamond paused for effect. She looked away from Yellow’s gaze, as if in fear or shame, but when she turned her head she gave Pearl a quick wink. “I just don’t know if fighting her is worth it. We’ve lost so many soldiers already for this tiny planet. Maybe it’s better just to leave it to her. It…grieves me that my first colony is a failure but perhaps it’s for the best.”  
On the screen, Yellow paused. Pearl’s heart swelled in anticipation. Could this finally be the end of the war?  
But an odd expression crossed Yellow’s face and she shook her head. “Absolutely not. I will not allow…. Your colony will absolutely succeed, Pink. If it’s gempower you need, I can arrange it. I’ll divert some of the soldiers from my Laria system colony. You can expect ten new units and three battleships in the next fourteen cycles.” She turned, then looked back at Pink, that strange expression on her face again. Yellow looked for a moment like she was going to say something else, but seemed to think better of it. “Yellow out,” she snapped finally, and the screen went dark.  
There was a moment of silence, then Pearl jumped as Pink suddenly slammed her fist down on the armrest of the throne. The whole palanquin shook with the Diamond’s fury. “Ten units?” she hissed. “We just cracked or destroyed so many gems and she’s going to send more? How much is it going to take before they just! Give! Up!” She accentuated each word with another slam on the throne.  
Pearl had become used to Pink Diamond’s tantrums in days gone by, but it had been a long time since the gem had lost her composure. And Pearl had never seen Pink this angry. She understood. The battle on the cliffside had been terrifying. The Crystal Rebellion was outnumbered and outgunned, and they had suffered many casualties. Hessonite, Pyrite, others…all shattered and lost forever. But they had prevailed in the end, and had seriously cut down the numbers of Homeworld’s army. Both Rose and Pearl had hoped that would be enough to finally end the war. The knowledge that even more Homeworld soldiers were now inbound, that their sacrifices were in vain, was crushing. Pearl blinked quickly to keep the tears out of her eyes, and she wondered if Pink was doing the same. However, when she looked up, Pink’s rage seemed to have cooled. The Diamond had in head in one hand, a dark and thoughtful expression on her face. Pearl remembered that look. That was exactly how Pink had looked right before she’d told Pearl about her intent to start the Rebellion.  
Pearl shifted uncomfortably. “My…Diamond? Are you alright?”  
Calling Pink by her formal address when they were alone had always amused her, and Pearl was relieved to see it snap the gem out of her reverie. Pink smiled slightly, sniffling and wiping a small tear from her eye. She quickly took a small crystal vial from her pocket, already half-filled with sparkling pink liquid, and safely stowed the tear away. Pink didn’t believe in wasting sadness-every teardrop she collected would eventually be taken to Rose’s fountain to supply the Rebellion with healing.  
“I was just thinking…” she started, then stopped, biting her lip anxiously. That was strange. Pink wasn’t usually recalcitrant, she shared all her thoughts with Pearl. But Pink seemed to be debating something. Eventually, she turned to Pearl and gave her a hesitant smile. “I might have an idea to turn this around.”


	2. The Beta

“Do you remember when Yellow and Blue wanted us to make a second Kindergarten, to grow more soldiers? And we chose that horrible slot canyon, because we knew that it would fail?” Pink began.  
Pearl couldn’t forget. It had broken Pink’s heart to intentionally fudge the building of the second Kindergarten, and she had cried about it for weeks. Both of them had known that the only way to stop the Kindergarten from making new soldiers-soldiers who could have easily overwhelmed the budding Rebellion-was to make sure the gems that came out of it weren’t fit for fighting. Wrecking the Beta Kindergarten was the only way to save the Rebellion, but would mean that any gems coming out of it would be off-color…something that would define their lives forever. Pink had done her best to shelter the defective gems, giving them non-combat positions in her workforce when Blue and Yellow had advised her just to shatter them-but Pearl knew that Pink’s decision to intentionally deform the Beta gems would haunt her forever. Pearl felt it too. Those poor off-color Betas would not be treated well back on Homeworld.  
Well, she corrected herself, except for that one case…  
Pink continued. “We’ve recruited many of the off-color Betas, but…they were made specifically not to fight, so they aren’t much help in combat. But that one…you remember…the Jasper…” Pink trailed off, looking away, and a shiver ran up Pearl’s spine.  
The Jasper. All of the gems from the Beta Kindergarten were flawed to varying degrees, except one. An orange Jasper, a new Earth variant on the Quartz, had emerged perfect. No-better than perfect. She was huge, absolutely towering over even the best of the Amethysts from the Prime Kindergarten, and nearly as strong as Pink Diamond. She was a one-gem army on the battlefield-powerful, fearless, and ruthless. And absolutely devoted to the Diamond Authority, dedicated to destroying Rose Quartz. Pearl had seen her at the cliffside battle, and the sight of the giant Quartz bearing down on her made her gem run cold. The only reason Pearl hadn’t had to fight Jasper was because Pink Diamond had yelled out at that moment after being charged by a few of the Crystal Gems, and Jasper had turned to help her. “Wh-what about her?” squeaked Pearl, her voice coming out much higher than she wanted it to.  
Pink Diamond looked up at the sound of the worry in Pearl’s voice, and her face softened. “I know she’s frightening. But if we could get her on her side, she could use that intimidation on these new soldiers. And she knows the other Quartzes in our army better than I do-she could tell us which ones might be open to suggestion from the Rebellion. I think she might be exactly what we need to turn this situation around.” Her voice got higher and more excited as she talked.  
“I-I don’t know if that’s a good idea,” Pearl stammered. She realized she was blushing teal, something that seemed to happen whenever she contradicted Pink Diamond. Since the birth of the Rebellion five centuries ago, Pink-Rose-had made it clear that Pearl no longer needed to defer to her when they were alone, that she was a free gem and not a servant any more. But five hundred years of Rose’s reassurances weren’t enough to wipe away millennia of Homeworld indoctrination. As a consequence, Pearl always felt a little awkward criticizing Pink. Still, it needed to be said.  
“From what I know of that Jasper, she…she’s not the type to rebel. She is absolutely loyal to the Authority-she draws all her pride from being their perfect soldier…” Pearl broke off as Pink Diamond waved her hand. The larger gem was looking away from her now, almost deliberately avoiding her eyes.  
“No,” Pink said at last, in a strangely resigned tone. “No she’s not loyal to the Diamond Authority. She’s loyal to Pink Diamond. To me.”  
Whatever Pearl had been about to say turned to ash in her mouth as the meaning of what Pink had just said reached her. It was not ‘Pink Diamond’ who hosted the Rebellion, or recruited followers, but the charismatic and provocative Rose Quartz. Gems didn’t rebel against their makers for Pink Diamond but for Rose. If this Jasper was to be recruited…  
“You want to...tell her who you are?” Pearl choked out at last.


	3. The Secret

“I…I don’t think…” Pearl sputtered. “I mean, the fewer people who know the truth, the better, right? We can’t just go telling everyone…” I’m the only one who knows, said a voice in her head, I keep all your deepest secrets. We are connected, deeper than anyone else…. Pearl pushed that voice away, but she couldn’t deny the strange, aching feeling filling her gem when she thought of Pink sharing her confidence with someone else. “How-how can you be sure, anyway, that she’s more loyal to you than the Authority? What if she just turns you in?”  
Pink shifted around on her throne, and Pearl saw why she had turned her gaze away. Pink was blushing. She looked sheepish suddenly. Pearl felt the ache grow, and with an unpleasant start, realized it was jealousy. She was jealous of this other gem and how she held Pink’s attention. Pink didn’t seem to notice.  
“Well, she’s always been very…attached to me, after I kept the other Betas from being shattered. I think she was grateful.” Pink twined her fingers together nervously. “And she liked it even more when I put her in my personal guard. I did it to keep her away from the battlefield, because she was so dangerous there. But I told her it was because I feared for my safety and wanted a strong gem like her protecting me. She liked that.”  
Pearl could imagine. How often had she leapt in front of Rose during battle, desperate to protect her? She would have loved to have heard Rose say those words afterword.  
“But after this last battle…well, you didn’t see it, because you left midway through, but a couple of our Topazes had me cornered. Nothing I couldn’t have dealt with, but before I could do anything, she ran at them. Poofed four of them on her own, but one of them…one of them got a lucky hit and cracked her gem.”  
At that, Pearl looked up with a start. Cracked gems were nothing for Rose Quartz-or any of the other Diamonds to heal-but since the Rebellion had begun, Pink Diamond had put the message out that healing gems was beyond her. It was easy enough-Pink had never used her diamond powers on Homeworld, never had the need to. And it was a useful fiction. Not only did it keep people from drawing parallels between Rose and Pink’s healing abilities, but it meant that cracked Homeworld soldiers couldn’t be healed on Earth. Instead, they were shipped back to the other Diamond colonies for a lengthy absence. It helped keep numbers down.  
So if Jasper was cracked, why was Pink thinking of bringing her in? Surely it would be ages before-  
“I fixed her.” Pink said suddenly, the sheepish expression intensifying. 


	4. The promise

“WHAT?!” Pearl burst out. She couldn’t help herself. Far from just being jealous, Pearl was horrified. This could jeopardize everything, ruin the lie they had built so carefully. Then she clapped a hand over her mouth in horror. She had just yelled at a Diamond.  
But Pink’s head dropped and her shoulders slumped as the blush grew across her face. “I know, I know it was stupid. But I didn’t plan it! It just happened.” She took a deep breath and continued. “After the battle, I found her on the ground glitching. I picked her up and was going to take her to a shuttle but…but she was crying.”  
Pearl blinked. The image of the giant Quartz crying was uncomfortable in the same way that a Pearl reprimanding a Diamond was. It went against how she thought about the world.  
“She was so sad, Pearl. She kept apologizing for failing me after I saved her and all the Betas. And it…I guess hearing that made me cry a little too. And you know how I hate wasting tears, and it gave me this idea…which I guess was really impulsive. I took her inside my palanquin and I told her she could never say anything to anyone about what I was going to do. And then I just dropped the tear on her nose.”  
“And she was amazed. She didn’t think I could heal. And she asked me why I didn’t tell the other diamonds or heal the other troops when they needed it…” And what did you say? thought Pearl. What could you possibly have said that kept her quiet?  
“I told her I was embarrassed,” Pink continued. “That I knew that Rose Quartz had the same power as me, to heal with her tears, and it made me worry that people would compare us. People are always comparing us…saying she’s a better leader, she runs a better army…” Pink trailed off. “I said, I kept it under wraps because it was easier just to send cracked gems off-world. But that I’d…make an exception for my best soldier.”  
That feeling of jealousy roared up again inside Pearl. Of course Jasper had eaten that up. Wasn’t it so nice to be Pink’s favorite, the one closest to her, the one trusted with all her secrets? Didn’t Pearl know all about that? And now she wasn’t the only one. She could have cried.  
Pink looked over at Pearl’s stricken expression and her face softened. But she seemed to misunderstand the problem as she spoke again. “So yes, I know what I did was very stupid. I know I betrayed your trust, too, and I’m sorry about that. You’ve put so much in to this, you absolutely deserve equal say in how we run the Rebellion, which is why I’m telling you now.”  
“But…” she continued, that excited tone coming back. “Hear me out. Jasper could have turned on me then. It would have been right for her to. By concealing the fact that I can heal, she actually betrayed the Diamond Authority as a whole. But she promised me she would keep my secret. And do you know what she said?”  
Pearl shook her head, trying to force herself to look excited. “She thanked me for thinking of her. She said I was kinder and more compassionate than she had been led to believe diamonds would be. That she would always remember what I’d done for her, and in return….” Pink paused, and Pearl looked up in horror to see there were tears in her eyes. “She promised that she’d do her best to protect me, no matter what. That I would never have to worry about anything again.”  
You already have me for that, came that voice in Pearl’s head again. What do you need her for? But if she was being honest with herself, that was pretty incredible. Maybe the powerful Jasper would side with them after all. If it meant she could protect her…diamond.  
“I think maybe it could be a good idea,” sighed Pearl, and Pink Diamond grinned brightly, one of those dazzling smiles that left Pearl weak in the knees every time.  
“Really? You think so?” Pink’s voice squeaked with excitement. Pearl nodded. It did feel nice, conspiring with Pink like this. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad to add this new Jasper.  
“We’ve got to be careful though,” said Pearl quickly. “We can’t just come out and ask her. Question her first, test the waters a bit.”  
Pink nodded. “Alright. I’ll send word to the guard and have her brought in.”


	5. The question

As the giant Quartz entered the palanquin, Pearl tried to see her as Pink Diamond had recalled-vulnerable, apologetic, crying. It seemed impossible. But then again, she reminded herself, the idea of a Pearl fighting for herself seemed impossible to many gems. Maybe it was the same for Jasper.  
Crossing the threshold, Jasper’s arms robotically moved into the diamond salute, but a broad smile came over her face. It wasn’t the look of a gem greeting their diamond, but much softer. That prickling jealousy forced its way up again, and Pearl mentally pushed it down as Jasper spoke.  
“My diamond, I was told you wished to see me?” Her voice wasn’t the tearing growl Pearl had heard on the battlefield but gentler. Pearl wouldn’t have thought her capable of that.  
“Yes. Yes, I did!” Pink Diamond seemed flustered. Subterfuge had never been her skill. Pearl hoped she could manage to question Jasper without blowing their cover. “I, um…I have a very important question for you. But before I ask, I wanted to…talk…to you about a few things.”  
Jasper blinked in confusion. “Talk…to me?”  
Pearl understood. The idea that a diamond would simply want to…converse…with a lower gem was quite rare. That was one of the things that had confused Pearl when she had first began serving Pink-the idea that her diamond wanted her opinion on things, or simply enjoyed being with her, was not something she had been told to expect. She hid a grin at the naked confusion on Jasper’s face. She had looked like that once.  
“Yes, um…” Pink Diamond fished for words. “I wondered how you felt about your time here. What things do you…enjoy?”  
This drew an even blanker look from Jasper. But her diamond had asked a question and she was determined to answer, no matter how confused she was. “Enjoy? Well, um…I guess I enjoyed the time you allowed me to spend with the others from the Beta colony. I guess it’s true what they say, that a gem always feels kinship to the members of her Kindergarten.”  
Pearl was surprised at that-she was sure that Jasper would have said fighting or training. But, she had to keep reminding herself to stop making judgements like that. While she mentally chastised herself, Jasper continued.  
“And of course I…I always enjoy my time in your presence.” That was something that every gem said about their diamond-was expected to say-but the earnesty in Jasper’s voice and the hopeful smile on her face made Pearl inclined to believe that the big gem actually meant it. “And this morning, I…” Jasper trailed off nervously, looking over at Pearl.  
“Oh!” exclaimed Pink, realizing the problem. “You can say anything in front of my Pearl. She shares all my secrets.” At that, Pearl’s heart swelled, happiness bubbling up inside her and catching in her throat. She was Pink’s confidant. They were bringing Jasper in together.  
Jasper’s eyes flicked back to Pink. “What you did for me this morning, it…it made me so happy. I thank you so much for your kindness. I…I will always remember that moment." Pearl looked up and met Pink’s eye. Both of them were smiling now. Pink’s crazy idea could really work. Pink turned back to Jasper, her confidence visibly building.  
“Just one more little question,” she said. “Before the big one. This question might startle you a bit, but just…give me your honest answer. I really am interested in what you have to say. Forget for a moment that you serve the Authority, or that you have obligations and just answer. What do you want?”


	6. The answer

Jasper stood in shocked silence, and Pearl couldn’t blame her. In all her life as a lower-class gem serving the Diamond Authority, this was likely the only time Jasper had ever been asked that question. Now it was being asked of her by one of the highest gems in the galaxy. In her situation, Pearl wouldn’t have known what to say either.   
The palanquin was silent for a few moments as Jasper thought about what to say. The obvious answer was “to serve the Authority!” of course, but since Pink had asked her not to say that, she searched for a suitable replacement. Finally, she said:  
“I’ve never been to Homeworld. To…your planet,” she added, looking up at Pink. “And I’ve heard it’s amazing. The first Kindergarten, the Golden Spire, the Cathedral of the Scattered Stars…” she trailed off, eyes wide, imaging the wonders held there.  
“Yes,” Pink replied, looking a little taken aback. Pearl knew this wasn’t the answer she was hoping for. “They are awe-inspiring. I do…miss the many delights Homeworld has to offer. I do believe you would do well there”  
“You do? I…if I really had to say what I wanted…” Jasper paused anxiously, then looked up, a small but bright smile on her face. “When this colony is secure, it would be my greatest desire to accompany you back to Homeworld as part of your personal guard…”  
A soft cricking sound drew Pearl’s attention. Her eyes widened in horror. Beside her, Pink Diamond’s face was a mask of pain, her teeth gritted and her eyes screwed shut to keep from watering. Her fingers dug into the stones of the armrest, creating small cracks and the sound Pearl had heard. In front of them, Jasper continued on, delighted and oblivious. “Maybe…we would even see some of those places together. I’m sure you know all about them! It would be amazing to accompany you there. And I’ve heard such incredible things about the balls you have thrown on Homeworld. They must be beau…”  
Jasper had finally looked up and seen Pink Diamond’s expression. Her face filled with horror as she undoubtably realized how inappropriate what she had been saying was. She stuttered out a hurried apology: “My-my diamond, I am have overstepped my place! I did not mean-I-of course you have much better things to do then-“  
“Not at all,” Pink Diamond’s head was bowed, obscuring her face from Jasper’s line of sight, but her voice was perfectly level. The warm excitement, however, was gone, replaced with a polite but sterile formality. “I have always enjoyed your company, my Jasper. And of course you will doubtlessly have the opportunity to enjoy yourself on Homeworld. Once the war is over.”  
Jasper looked less panicked, but still uncomfortable at Pink’s sudden change of mood. “My…my diamond…” she began uncertainly. “What was the…big question you wanted to ask me?”  
Pink was quiet for a moment. “Did I…you’ll have to forgive me, my Jasper. I’m still feeling a little unwell from the battle. Perhaps we could continue this another time? You’ll have to see yourself out.”  
Both Pearl and Jasper looked up in surprise and worry. This wasn’t the plan! As Jasper turned to leave, still looking worried, Pearl tried to catch Pink’s eye. When at last the door closed, Pearl burst out: “What happened? She seemed ready! She’s devoted to you!”  
“You heard her,” Pink said, her voice still eerily level. “She wants to go to Homeworld. She wants to go to the castles and the balls and see the sights. If she joins us, that’s over.”  
Pearl frowned that wasn’t exactly what Jasper had said. A memory of her own voice came to her mind. Why would I want to go home…  
“She said she wanted to do those things as part of your guard. I really think that-“  
“Enough!” Pink slammed her hand down again. Pearl nearly jumped out of her form. Pink had never yelled at her before. But looking up, Pink didn’t look angry. She was crying, and as the tears dripped down her face, she didn’t even bother to collect them. “If we ask her to join the Rebellion, her life is over! She’ll have to choose between me and all the things she wants. All the things she deserves! I ruined the lives of all of the other Betas. She thanked me for not shattering them. She trusts me. I’m not going to do the same thing to her. That’s final.”  
Why would I want to go home…  
That memory kept circling. Rose telling Pearl that she could never return to Homeworld if she stayed in the Rebellion. And Pearl, saying, so confidently…  
Why would I want to go home if you’re here?  
Pink settled back against her throne, wiping her eyes. It seemed that the matter, for her, was closed. But Pearl thought about how excited Jasper had been to spend time with Pink, how well she understood that feeling, and she couldn’t help but feel that they weren’t doing Jasper a favor at all.


	7. The reunion

EARTH COLONY  
CURRENT TIME  
“Did she…say anything? Before she went?” Pearl was uncomfortable asking. Steven had been through enough-fighting Jasper and watching her corrupt right in front of him had to have been traumatizing-but she had to know. In front of her, Amethyst’s purple bubble floated gently, holding the sharp orange stone she remembered so well from that day in Pink’s palanquin.  
“She said she was fighting because of what I…what mom did to her diamond. Not Yellow Diamond. Someone called Pink Diamond.” Steven looked up at her in askance. Pearl knew he wanted to know more, but saying anything about Pink was out of the question.   
“Things during the war were…complicated,” she said at last. “Jasper was on the other side and it seems like…it seems like she never got over it.” Exactly as Pearl had feared. Steven didn’t seem satisfied with that answer, but he also seemed uncomfortable in the Burning Room next to Jasper’s bubbled gem. “Garnet’s talking about going to bubble all the corrupted gems Jasper has in the Beta Kindergarten. I’m… gonna go see if she needs help.” He darted off, leaving Pearl alone with the bubble.  
“Why would I want to go home if you’re here?” she said softly. “I’m sorry, Jasper. I should’ve known.” Ever since Jasper had first appeared on that ship, thousands of years after the Rebellion but still filled with rage for Rose Quartz, Pearl had known. She saw the pain in Jasper’s eyes, just as clearly as she’d seen the love in them, all those years past. Just like her own love. Just like her own pain.  
Pearl reached up, curling her arms around the bubble and pulling it close. “I know it doesn’t matter now,” she whispered. “But it wasn’t your fault. She left you. She left us both.”  
Six thousand years ago, she’d been jealous at the thought that someone else might share her relationship with Rose. But now it felt almost comforting to know that someone else had felt what she had. She hugged the bubble close, just tight enough not to pop it. And for a while, if felt good to know they had something in common.


End file.
